Hackers have worked out a way to play Battlefield 3 without using the Origin service that EA requires of players of the military shooter sequel, reports Gamasutra. They have apparently acquired the cracked version of the game, saying it includes the following statement: "This release is dedicated to our fans worldwide who bought this game on [sic] legal way and don't want to install the trojan from Electronic Arts to play online." They also say EA has not yet commented on this situation. Thanks Destructoid.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Valve games can't be played outside of the Steam wrapper, can they? (Legitimately in mp, I mean)

If not, then is it safe to assume that Origin is less intricately tied into BF3 then Steam is to, say, Left 4 Dead?

Origin is basically just a DRM check for BF3. I think its only other functions are DLC redemption and the silly overlay which is redundant/pointless because your Battlelog friends list is separate. It's not a situation like a Steamworks title where companies literally integrate parts of the game using the Steamworks framework. Some companies do differing levels of integration, Valves titles are usually the tightest but there are other examples that integrate multiplayer, DLC, friends, etc.